Looking for a New Home for Your Child's Used Books? Try the SM Store

If you have children’s books you want to donate, give them to The SM Store, which has launched a donate-a-book campaign in all of its SM stores nationwide. 

If you want to participate in the campaign, you may donate books (both new and pre-loved), text books, and school supplies that will be distributed to students in schools supported by the SM Foundation. Shoppers will receive Php50 worth of discount coupons for every donation they make.

Over the years, The SM Store has been conducting quarterly donation drives for several poor areas and communities that were affected by natural calamities all over the country. The retail giant gathers items such as books, toys, and hygiene kits. To date, the campaign has around 900,000 beneficiaries nationwide.

“More shoppers are looking for ways to give back, and The SM Store share this mission,” says Joseph Rosal, senior AVP for operations of The SM Store. “We want The SM Store to become the venue for people to come together and foster the true Filipino spirit of sharing or bayanihan.”

Among the beneficiaries of book donations is Balanga Elementary School in Bataan. The SM Foundation spearheaded the construction of a two-storey building in this school, and employee volunteers from the Pampanga and Olongapo branches of The SM Store also spent a fun day with Grade 3 students.

The kids were treated to a storytelling session by The Story Telling Project (TSP), a non-government organization that has partnered with SM and its , which aims to spark hope, inspiration, and imagination through storytelling.

During the session, TSP displayed how reading could be made fun and enjoyable as an activity you can do with students, teachers, and parents.

“We are aligned with the mission of The SM Share Movement Donate-A-Book campaign and Balanga Elementary School to make reading an enjoyable experience for children,” says Rey Bufi, executive director of TSP. “It can help start the regular habit of reading in an age when children are often distracted with gadgets.”

Meanwhile, Amy Inieto, principal of Balanga Elementary School, also expressed how the school intends to reinforce students’ reading habits, in addition to their regular school curriculum. “The books donated by The SM Store through its donate-a-book campaign under its #ShareMovement program will be put to good use. It will become part of our teaching instruments to reinforce the value of reading.”

This 2019, SM is completing the construction of its 100^th school building. Every year, SM gives around 2,000 college scholarships to children from disadvantaged but deserving families. Under this scholarship program, SM also supports technical vocational trainings and training programs for farmers.

The SM Store “#ShareMovement: Donate-A-Book” will run in all SM Department Stores until July 7, 2019.